Colburn’s cup game abandoned after broken leg

Two Wensleydale Creamery League sides were due to play in the last 16 of the North Riding Cup on Saturday.

This report is sponsored by:

Neither fixture could however be completed with Catterick Garrison’s game against West Pier falling victim to the weather and a nasty injury meaning Colburn’s game against Thirsk Falcons having to be abandoned.

Colburn had made a strong start, passing the ball round confidently, but were rocked back on their heels when the visitors went ahead against the run of play after six minutes.

A ball was played between Colburn’s centre backs, and Karl Latcham was caught in no-man’s land, giving the Thirsk attacker time and space to slot the ball home.

Colburn were then forced into an early change when Ashley McInerney had to come off.

It was no surprise as it was only last week that he dislocated his shoulder v Spenni.

Gary Hutchinson replaced him in midfield and Colburn returned to the attacking play with which they’d started the game. It was all Colburn at this point and they reaped the rewards after 18 minutes.

Thirsk’s goalie rushed out to the ball on the left of his area, but was beaten to it by a quick-thinking Craig Teasdale, who with his wand of a left foot lifted the ball over the Thirsk defenders into the far corner of the goal.

Immediately afterwards there was some clever build-up play from Hutchinson and Connor Weatherbed down the left, giving Tom Sweeney a chance, but his shot hit the side-netting.

All the pressure at this point was coming from Colburn, whose intelligent movement and sharp passing was forcing Thirsk’s defence to work their socks off, leaving them no chance to mount any meaningful attacks of their own.

On 32 minutes, Colburn went ahead when Timmy Taylor advanced down the left, and knocked a fine ball to the far side of the area.

Teasdale rose and contrived somehow to get the ball to Sweeney, lurking on the left of the goal and he buried the ball in the back of the net.

There was only one team in it at this point, but a minute later Thirsk had an equaliser.

Following a corner, Ross Drury made a fine tackle on the Thirsk winger, but the ball flew back into the area, ricocheting off Nige Cole to a surprised, but grateful Thirsk striker.

Latcham had no chance and it was 2-2. For the rest of the half, play was quite even.Sweeney had an effort drift just wide.

Colburn were making some fine tackles in midfield and defence to thwart Thirsk. Sweeney then had a snap shot which came out to Joe Woodall, but his attempt was well saved.

Next it was Weatherbed missing his tackle at the other end, giving Thirsk’s winger a sight of goal, but his cross/shot flew across the area and wide of the goal.

The second half began with a spell of sustained pressure from Thirsk. Colburn were unable to completely clear their lines, and on 48 minutes found themselves behind again when Thirsk forced the ball home.

Five minutes later it was 4-2 to Thirsk.

Another corner was not cleared properly, the ball was played back in down the right, and the Thirsk attacker produced a fierce shot which flashed past Latcham into the net.

Colburn did pick themselves up again, but were now resorting to the long ball too much, not providing the quality of service that Sweeney and Woodall thrive on.

Colburn were pressing hard to get back into the game, but on 65 minutes a Thirsk breakaway was clinically finished off to make it 5-2.

Hutchinson shot wide at one end, while Cole was making block after block at the back.Then after 69 minutes a blatant offside was missed by the ref

As the Thirsk player ran on to the loose ball, Colburn were assuming the ref was waiting for him to touch the ball, before whistling him up.

But no whistle came, and Latcham had no choice but to wipe out the attacker, resulting in a penalty. Justice however was served as Latcham produced a fine save to frustrate the opposition.

Three minutes later, the game seemed to be back on. Teasdale won a questionable corner and delivered another quality ball to the back post where Drury rose to head the ball back across to Taylor who nodded it into the goal to make it 3-5. But then came the incident which brought an early end to proceedings.

Latcham collided with a Thirsk attacker on the left of his area and was left in agony on the ground. No blame was attached to the Thirsk player – it was totally accidental.

On a cold afternoon, coats were quickly found to cover Latcham, an ambulance was summoned, and as the player could not be moved, the ref had no alternative but to abandon the game.After a long wait, the paramedics arrived, and Latcham was taken to hospital, where x-rays showed he had fractured his shinbone

It is not yet known if the result will stand or the fixture will be replayed.

In the game between Buck Inn and Reeth, the visitors’ Scott Alderson scored, at the second attempt, to notch up his first competitive for the club after a half hour.

Their lead lasted only two minutes though. Mark Swanwick scored for the Buck after being set up by Marshal Thorogood.

The match was evenly balanced, until a rash challenge in the 82nd minute on substitute Jacob Tate saw Buck awarded a penalty, which Ryan Howe slotted home.

Buck came off their Aldborough St John pitch feeling they’d under-performed after what had intended to be a bounce back performance in light of last weeks disappointment against Garrison.

Richmond Academy welcomed Carperby in a game switched to Catterick Village after an early pitch inspection found their usual Easby pitch to be unplayable.

Carperby arrived with the bare 11 and Academy manager, Paul Ramsay, warned against complacency after the disappointment of the defeat to Reeth in their last game.

The young side started very brightly with constant attacks in the first 15 minutes with Eddie Lewington and Ronan Donoghue causing havoc down the flanks.

Chance after chance went begging with both Danny Weatherall and Tom Carnegie-Brown hitting the post before Donaghue struck the opening goal on 16 minutes after being played in by Lewington.

Lewington was provider again just two minutes later as he squared for Weatherall to smash into the top corner.

The rest of the first half was quite frustrating for Academy as a host of chances went begging before Donoghue got his second on 41 minutes after Joe Ramsay won the ball and fed Weatherall to square for a lovely team goal.

Weatherall got his second three minutes later with Donoghue this time turning provider.

4-0 half time and the team talk was all about keeping going and pressing for more goals.

The second half saw Academy camped in the opposition half but firing chance after chance straight at the keeper.

On 60 minutes Academy welcomed back Jay Smith who had been out for 12 months with a cruciate injury.

Almost immediately Smith was involved as he went clean through but unselfishly slipped the ball to Donoghue for his hat-trick.

The young winger finished well but the ref ruled it out for offside.On 71 minutes Ethan Rowland made a bursting run from midfield and squared the ball for Ramsay to fire home his first of the season and seal the win.

In the other league game Unicorn beat Spennithorne 3-0 away, with Spenni old boy Liam Reeves getting a brace against his former team.